A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8681297 Details
Epoch: 407 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 90633063 epoch_slot_no: 172263 block_no: 8681120 slot_leader_id: 7630734 size: 13840 time: 2023-04-22 21:35:54 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf588a788089cb4f55fe75e2354500356a05aa00b0f6147792388389fb659c1baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vengp9qs27hzmq3xmcld0cxula4tjmx0ezuylt8pakxfvfvrtw7sjyfeep op_cert: \x4169c17a58a200050078c22fd08e3f28319471376593f588837469df07d0c5c3 op_cert_counter: 3